Updated: Veteran savvy wins it for Sens

Riley Nash was fighting tears as he met the media to take questions after his roughing (Bobby Ryan) penalty led to Bobby Ryan’s overtime game-winner.

David Backes said the Bruins let Nash down, that he works very hard and deserved a better outcome.

“Our penalty kill has been huge for us all year, and the penalty being on Nasher sure doesn’t help either because he’s the guy in the box and he’s a huge part of that great kill we have,” said Backes.

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, asked if he found the penalty call that led to Ottawa’s game-winner “demoralizing,” answered “Yeah, I agree with you, 100 percent. Very demoralizing.”

So there it is. The Bruins’ official position is that they got screwed tonight.

Cassidy did say that the Senators were better early because they were first to the puck. Make that three straight games after which he has commented on his team from a lack-of-effort standpoint.

The Sens were quick to blame the Bruins and not themselves for the Bruins’ comeback from a 3-0 deficit to an even game at the end of regulation.

Asked if Bobby Ryan had elevated his game for the playoffs, Ottawa coach Guy Boucher disagreed but in an affirming way.

“Nope. You’d love me to say that, I know everybody would love that and make it a great story, but if you look at his last 10 games that he’s played, he was the same guy getting all the same chances and he was just snake-bit,” said Boucher. “The key was, again, like we said about our team, just sticking with it. If you’re doing good things over the long period of time it’s just bound to pay and it’s paying off right now. But it’s the same plays he was making and it’s the same scoring chances he was getting. But right now he’s hot and that’s great for us.”

The other “100 percent” answer came from David Krejci, who agreed with Rink Rap’s leading question if he got better as the game went along.

Patrice Bergeron stated that the Bruins have to get a better start (Krejci said as much) and that the penalty kill has to be better.

Of lingering concern tonight was the grit and determination present throughout Ottawa’s lineup, as evidenced by a more-balanced allotment of ice time and even-strength shifts.

For instance, at 5-on-5 Ottawa forwards logged from 16:36 (Mark Stone) down to 10:45 (Bobby Ryan). Bruins’ forwards topped out at 18:40 (Riley Nash) down to 7:14 (Ryan Spooner).

Their not-so-tough guys played a tough brand of hockey, while the Bruins’ dichotomy between their tough players and their not-so-tough players was too noticeable. If 2011 tells us anything, it’s that the Bruins brought an all-for-one, one-for-all commitment to the game.

Granted, grit is also a learning curve for the majority of players, who can think all the right thoughts and take seven years as professionals to realize their own potential.

Only Spooner’s acumen with the man advantage is keeping him in the lineup, and Cassidy has to decide on a day-to-day basis if it’s worth asking that much more at even strength of other forwards, particularly other centers.

Spooner took three faceoffs (2-1) and landed one shot on goal. He had the secondary assist on David Pastrnak’s game-tying goal in the second period.

Where the Senators have the Bruins beat in this series is when the Bruins are trying to break the puck out of their defensive zone. Given blueline personnel has been this team’s Achilles Heel for the past three seasons going back to the 2014 playoffs and given the fact this evolving personnel has been so substantially depleted since the final week of the regular season (ie. three of Boston’s top-four defensemen are out nursing injuries, plus a third-pairing player), it’s incumbent upon Boston’s centers to support the breakout and be part-time puck movers.

It’s a lot on the shoulders of Bergeron and Krejci, the latter of whom just returned from an injury absence.

Moore and Nash help in this regard, but Spooner is supposed to be the No. 3 center, and he (and Frank Vatrano) are not skating the number of game-on-the-line shifts that reflect well especially in the aftermath of a coaching change both players publicly embraced.

Vatrano played more effectively later in the game and got more shifts, but he and Spooner were at the bottom of the ice-time list with respective 10:47 and 10:17 totals.

Down 2-1 in the series and in absolute need of a fourth line that can play with a sustained presence, the Bruins have some decisions to make.

Management and coaching staff have been extremely patient. That patience is being tested as the season hangs in the balance.

Meantime, it’s Brad Marchand’s lack of scoring in keeping with his dominant regular season that Cassidy has to address.

“Well clearly he took a penalty tonight (a crosscheck on Ryan that Rink Rap believes was the product of embellishment), probably out of frustration, but listen,” said Cassidy after the game. “Brad Marchand was what, the fifth-leading scorer in the National Hockey League this year? He’s going to get keyed on. So part of the process for him becoming an elite player is to play through that, take advantage of the opportunities, and certainly we can get him away from certain matchups. But at the end of the day, they’re going to get the D pair (they want) out against him for the most part, unless there’s an O-zone faceoff after an icing, and we try to get that matchup. But, obviously, he’s got to play through it.”

“He scored a big goal for us in Game 1. He was the difference in the game so March can create a little more out there, and he will. We’ll talk to him (Tuesday) about it, but at the end of the day that’s what happens when you’re an elite player. … We’ve got to do a better job – if you flip it – with Karlsson. He’s the guy that we’ve got to do a better job of chasing the puck out of his hands, or forcing him to travel through us if he’s going to join the rush, and we’ll keep talking about that. The last goal, we made a major mistake, (Moore) chasing him behind the net, allowed them some ice. It’s been addressed but we’ll keep addressing it.”

FOURTH PERIOD

Ottawa icing.

Marchand, save Anderson.

Morrow ices it.

Acciari lays down in front of Cody Ceci. Shaken up.

The Senators had a great chance when MacArthur put the puck to the net and Pyatt almost tipped it home. Pageau pushed the left post off its mooring, but the faceoff stayed in Boston’s end.

Riley Nash got hit high by Ryan, hit back and went to the box at 4:38. Ryan got an earlier favor embellishing Marchand’s crosscheck. This was tactical.

On the ensuing powerplay, Karlsson shook off Moore and headmanned Ryan, who traded passes with Turris and redirected the pass in behind Rask for the winning goal at 5:43.

Ottawa wins, 4-3.

Final shots: Ottawa 32-20.

THIRD PERIOD

Rask made two quick stops, then Kevan Miller had a chance but shot it into Anderson’s glove.

Ottawa D Ben Harpur hit the post. Rask makes another save.

Zack Smith put Ryan Spooner into the Ottawa bench. Took a second effort to accomplish the feat – no call.

Methot shoves Schaller in the head during a post-whistle scrum. Young Bruins taking a lot of abuse, but both in the box at 8:11.

Bruins concluded their best cycle shift of the game with 3:05 left.

Joe Morrow iced the puck with 1:40 remaining in regulation. He got the puck back off the ensuing faceoff but put it into the Bruins bench, bringing the faceoff back into Boston territory.

Dominic Moore thought he made a soft clear, but it beat Burrows to the goal line for another icing. Rask catches Hoffman’s shot for another faceoff in the Boston zone. Rask stops Stone’s slapper for another faceoff with 52.2 seconds left.

Bergeron won the draw from Pageau, but Chara backhanded the puck at the side of the net and Rask had to cover. Pageau stayed out there, while Cassidy went with Moore. He got kicked off the draw, but Nash won it and the Bruins finally got out.

The Sens made one more rush, the Bruins survived it and went to third intermission.

Shots after 3: Ottawa 28-19.

SECOND PERIOD

Kevan Miller with a monster shift that ends at 1:54 with him in the box for interference. Mike Hoffman’s point shot beat Rask on the resultant powerplay to make it 3-0 Ottawa at 3:42. It was Hoffman’s second goal of the game.

Schaller and Nash outbattled Karlson for the puck in the Zamboni corner. Nash got it back to Liles, and his shot got a tip by Noel Acciari to beat Craig Anderson at 6:05 and get Boston on the board, 3-1.

Backes made it 3-2 42 seconds later when Bobby Ryan fell down and lost the puck in the slot. Tommy Cross got his first NHL playoff assist.

Phaneuf rocks Acciari along the sideboards. Acciari engages Phaneuf in a lengthy chat.

Turris goes for tripping Nash at 11:46.

Phaneuf with a big slash on Backes in front. Backes straight down the tunnel. He would return.

Pastrnak ties it seconds after Turris exits the box. 3-3 with 6:09 left in the period.

Marchand gets a crosschecking minor for hitting Ryan. Total dive by Ryan, but Marchand got what he deserved for the hot-headed act of frustration.

Bruins get the kill.

Vatrano with a chance but couldn’t get the puck out of his skates. Bergeron follows, but Anderson blocks his backhander. Bergeron’s shot in the final minute was Boston’s 10th of the game.

Vatrano engaged Karlsson, hooked the defenseman’s stick out of his possession, and both went to the box with 28.2 seconds left in a trade that had the Ottawa bench up in arms.

4-4 hockey.

Shots at second intermission: Ottawa 21-10.

FIRST PERIOD

Viktor Stalberg nice hit on Marchand coming out of the Boston zone.
Hoffman crosschecked McAvoy twice to get the knockdown.

Chara pushed down Burrows with one hand.

Backes to the box at 2:27 for a gratuitous finish on Clarke MacArthur.
Bruins gave up an early chance, but Bergeron and Schaller had chances at the other end.

Ottawa got a big chance because referee Eric Furlatt failed to elude a play the Bruins made to the area behind their own net.

Hoffman corrals a touchdown pass from Karlsson and beats Rask with a shootout-style move at 7:15 for a 1-0 Ottawa lead.

Chara had pinched on the play and Hoffman snuck behind McAvoy. The pass had to be on the mark and it was perfect.

The Sens have done a good job limiting the amount of space and time Marchand has with the puck. They’ve clearly gone to school on his moves.

Cross lost his stick battling with Bobby Ryan and that cleared a lane for the second Senators goal by Derick Brassard at 7:40, only 25 seconds after Hoffman’s goal.

After a Boston forward snapped his own stick trying to make an outlet play, Cross made a big shot block.

Backes knocked down Phaneuf, then challenged him to a fight – Phaneuf declined – then got an odd-man rush and clanged his shot off the crossbar at 14:03.

Kyle Turris interfered with Chara coming back on a transition play, and went out to the box with 5:33 left in the period.

Rask stopped Tom Pyatt on a 2-on-1 in the final minute to keep it at a two-goal deficit.

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Blog Author

Mick Colageo

Mick Colageo grew up in East Walpole, Mass., skating on Coburn's Pond and at 4 Seasons Arena. He has been writing about hockey since 1986 and covering the Bruins since 1991, is a voting member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, and ... Read Full